Tariq Saeed Peshawar
While the Pakistan Democratic Party ruling alliance in the center has welcomed the election Commission’s decision to postpone the polls in Punjab till October, toeing the line of his leadership the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has also asked the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold elections in KP on October 8, the date the electoral watchdog has announced for Punjab.
KP governor Haji Ghulam Ali, in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, said it would be in the “best public interest as well as in the interest of the state” if polls were held in October instead of on May 28, the previous date already suggested by him.
The governor claimed that recently, a fresh wave of terrorist activities has been taking place in the northwestern province on a daily basis and pointed out terrorist activities including cross-border fire in North Waziristan, an improvised explosive device blast on an army vehicle in Kohat, heavy exchange of fire with terrorists in South Waziristan on March 15, unknown terrorists fire on Khyber’s Bara Police Station on March 19
Citing further incidents, he said a terrorist attack took on a police station in DI Khan followed by a search operation by the army, resulting in the martyrdom of three army soldiers on the night between March 21 and 22.
Also, he said, on March 21, a convoy was ambushed in South Waziristan which resulted in the martyrdom of Brigadier Mustafa Kamal Barki from the Inter-Services Intelligence and injuries to seven other personnel.
The governor, in the letter said that since the ECP has postponed the election date for the general elections of Punjab to October 8, it is also suggested that the same date should also be fixed as the polling day for the general elections in KP.
